FAMILY Matters star Jaleel White was once told to change his beloved character Steve Urkel’s signature uniform of suspenders and tight jeans – because his nether regions were becoming too much for TV.
Jaleel– who starred as fan-favorite nerd Steve from 1989 to 1998 on the family-friendly sitcom- recounted the exchange with network executives in his memoir, Growing Up Urkel, out November 19.
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After the show’s eighth season, Jaleel, now 47, was over 20 years old and felt he was growing out of the character – but the network execs were desperate to keep the show going, he wrote.
The higher-ups did, however, agree to make some minor superficial changes to Steve’s geeky look, Jaleel claimed.
“Let’s get rid of the suspenders. Lower his pants, too,” Jaleel claimed the exes said.
“Oh and…It’s getting a bit uncomfortable watching him in tight jeans. There’s a, uh…bulge.”
Jaleel said by the time he entered college, he was “peeling” himself out of the skintight pants “like a banana.”
HIGH AND LOW
It also became increasingly difficult for him to recite lines in Steve’s signature high-pitched voice.
In fact, Jaleel said speaking like Steve was “physically painful,” now that his voice was naturally much lower as a grown man.
He felt so much strain, he said he nearly left the show that made him a star.
However, he ended up staying on the series until it was canceled in 1998.
FAMILY CONFLICT
Jaleel not only clashed with the execs, he had conflict with his co-stars as well.
He once claimed his nationwide fame was too much for his older costars to handle.
“I didn’t see how I was stepping on anybody’s toes, I was taking anybody’s shine,” he told TVOne’s Uncensored in 2021.
“It’s very important that I say this: I was not very well welcomed to the cast at all, okay?
“And I don’t need to rehash that with the adults over and over again. They know what it is.”
He even claimed Reginald VelJohnson and Jo Marie Peyton even made him break down in tears during a table read.
After some time out of the spotlight, Jaleel is now the host of game show Flip Side.
He married tech executive Nicoletta Ruhl in May 2024 in a lavish LA ceremony, and is a dad to 15-year-old daughter Samaya.
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